Thinking about Before Watchmen

The comics world erupted in controversy February 1st when DC Comics announced to it was producing seven new limited series and a one-shot epilogue titled Before Watchmen; prequels of Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbon's masterpiece Watchmen.  Is it crass opportunism or a great strategic move? Protagonists from both sides have been arguing over Twitter, YouTube and the blogosphere in the past weeks and here's my modest contribution to this pan-industry debate. 

A cover to DC's upcoming Rorschach Before Watchmen mini

A cover of DC's upcoming Comedian Before Watchmen mini

From DC's Watchmen #2 originally published October 1986, reprinted in 2008

Frankly, I'm looking forward to them. When the original Watchmen was published in 1986, I had only started reading comics and because of this didn't read the originals when first released. By the early 90s, I had managed to complete them but being used to shorter X-Men and Batman books, didn't take in as much as when I read them again in my 20s. Since, I've enjoyed Watchmen three more times and come to appreciate the story as both a masterpiece of the genre and great introductionary story for my non-comic reading friends.

Nite Owl in DC's Watchmen #1, September 1986 republished in 2008

This history is probably one of the reasons why I'm okay with these prequels. Being relatively new to the story, I'm not as emotionally attached to its original twelve issue presentation as others seem to be. Moreover, I'm also a realist. I know the industry is in a scrap and if this brings in new readers or gives comics publicity in the battle against other forms of entertainment, then I'm all for it. Yes, I know that has me siding with the corporate big-wigs in New York and LA, but there's a simple reality out there -- a profitable comics industry means better stories for us readers and more jobs for comic creators. 

A cover of DC's upcoming Silk Spectre Before Watchmen mini

Which brings me to much used Star Wars argument -- likely something I don't need to explain. And while I'm willing to concede the Star Wars prequel trilogy was a disaster, these new films didn't ruin my love of the original trilogy and Empire Strikes Back remains my favourite film to this day. Because of this, I'm taking a similar view regarding Before Watchmen. If they bomb, the greatness of original series will not be diminished one iota. That said, DC knows it can't drop the ball on this one and that's why they've assembled a great team to do it. Look at the list and you'll see what I mean.

Ozymandias in DC's Watchmen #10, July 1987 republished in 2008 

So if you're already against Before Watchmen, then send DC a message and don’t buy them. Me, I'll be reading, reviewing and (hopefully) enjoying seeing how Ozymandias and Dr. Manhattan became the great characters I know them as. I know not every Before Watchmen comic will be perfect -- but I'm willing to give them a chance and hope they're a successful enterprise for DC. As stated above: the stronger the industry the better the stories for all of us. 

SuperSoundtrack #1: Ozymandias and Page of Quire

Everybody knows that a good film needs a good soundtrack. Star Wars and Indiana Jones wouldn't be the same without John Williams' great symphonic scores. Nor would 80s classics like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off be the same without the Flowerpot Men’s “Beat City” or the now iconic “Oh Yeah” by Yello, capturing the mood of the story so perfectly.

Indeed, when you watch the Director’s Commentary of FBDO you learn about what care John Hughes put into sound-tracking the movie, and why he deliberately chose music that hadn't yet made the mainstream. WGTB suspects this is why whenever you hear “Oh Yeah!" today, your first memory is probably of Ferris and the 1961 Ferrari GT California OR a subsequent reference to greed or excess that came from that scene.

So, in tribute to all the great, unexplored music out there, WGTB is introducing a new feature called SuperSoundtracks.

What we’re doing is pairing up good but non-mainstream songs with comic book heroes or villains who don’t yet have associated music. Of course, these are only suggestions, and hopefully our readers will add to the mix and suggest some songs and characters of their own -- our only request is that you keep the music interesting and obcure. No Madonna or Michael Jackson please!

SuperSoundtrack #1

Our first comic book character is Watchmen’s Ozymandias, a key figure in the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons masterpeice. Billed as the "smartest man in the world" and blessed with exoribant wealth and physical fitness, Ozymandias, is a key force in helping drive this timeless mini-series forward.

His chosen song is “Reason Man”, an early Depeche Mode track, performed by an obscure German synth group called Page of Quire. The futuristic keyboards and the driving beat capture the mysterious and aloof qualities of Ozymandias brilliantly, while the lyrics match him to a tee. If you know Watchmen then you know why Ozymandias is the "Reason Man".

Have a listen.

Do you have any suggestions that match Ozymandias even better? If so, please post them below. And again, if you have any other character/song suggestions please post with a link. This won't be any fun without a little interaction!